Alchemists have tried to make gold from other elements
ever since smelting was discovered. The process of discovery
eventually culminated in the legendary Philosophers' Stone,
(Lapis Philosophorum), which supposedly can transmute base
metals such as lead or mercury into gold -- besides being able
to heal any disease, rejuvenate, and enlighten the adept, etc.
The collective effort of The Great Work (Ars Magna), as it was
called, peaked in Europe during the 17th century and declined
thereafter with the development of modern chemistry. Popular
opinion now considers the Philosophers' Stone to be a psychic
projection with no scientific basis in material reality.

That is almost true insofar as most alchemists were somewhat
deluded, ignorant, or addlepated with mercury poisoning. Au
contraire, the singular case of Wenzel Seyler, who was not an
alchemist, proves the truth of physical Alchemy beyond
reasonable doubt. His fantastic story was verified and
well-documented by Doctor Johan Becher (1635-1682) in "Magnalia
Naturae (1680). Becher also minted a medallion
from gold he made with Seyler's tincture

Wenzel Seyler (AKA Wenceslaus Seilerus) was a reluctant young
friar of the Augustinian order -- he had entered to avoid
prosecution for sexing with the Governor's daughter. In 1676, he
and an elderly priest discovered a cache of the Philosophers'
Stone buried in the ruins of a chapel at Brno (Moravia, now the
Czech Republic) by the founding abbot circa 1350. When the
priest died suddenly of a stroke, Seyler stole the treasure and
escaped from the abbey. After a series of misadventures, he
became a favorite of Austria's Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I.
Hoping to secure royal patronage, Seyler presented the Emperor
with a medal, decorated with portraits of members of the
Habsburg family, and Leopold I in the center. The souvenir is on
display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). Seyler
performed many demonstrations of gold-making, becoming a great
favorite of Emperor Leopold, appointed Hereditary Master of the
Mint of Bohemia, and ennobled as "Baron Seyler von Reinburgh".

His incredible good fortune was the sole exception to the rule.
Several genuine master alchemists of that era willingly suffered
death by torture rather than reveal their sacred secret
synthesis to greedy tyrants. But there was no particular reason
to torture Seyler other than sadism (which hadn't been invented
yet), for he did not know how to make the Lapis, and the Emperor
had immediately appropriated much of it for himself. Seyler
wasted his fabulous fortune in depravity and eventually resorted
to sordid fraud by adulterating the dwindling stock.

Baron Wilhelm von Schroeder

Baron Wilhelm von Schroeder, who was a member of the Royal
Society in London, claimed that Friedrich Augustus II
(1670-1773), the great Polish Elector of Saxony, manufactured
large quantities of gold by alchemical means, but the family
heirs lost the way. Schroeder transmits this story in his
"Instructions Respecting the Art of Transmutation and
Ameliorating the Metals" (1684):

"My intention is not to enter into
Disputes as my time is too precious for that; what I propose
writing I have seen and partly elaborated myself, and am still
employed in bringing the same to perfection.

"Although it is hardly worth a Man’s
while to bring any proofs concerning the Reality and Existence
of our Art, yet if we were not to mention something, our
silence would by many be deemed inability, therefore almost
against our inclination we see ourselves obliged to relate a
few Tracts, the Truth of which cannot be taken in question.

"Plinius in his 33 Book of Natural
History, says: that there exists a process whereby Gold is
made by means of orpiment, a process which invited the Emperor
Caligula, a prince very covetous of Riches, to cause some men
to work a great quantity of orpiment; by which operation
perfect Gold was procured, but so small a quantity that the
Emperor had reason to repent of his avarice.

"It is positively known that Theophrastus Paracelsus was well
acquainted with the knowledge of transmuting mercury and lead
into gold; this has even been attested by some of his enemies.

"Raymundus Lullius transmuted a
great quantity of lead into gold, which he gave to King Henry
of England, to enable him to assist other powers in retaking
the Holy Land from the Turks; this is well authenticated in
History, and yet there exists yet a letter written by the same
Raymundus Lullius to King Henry, where he comments having
furnished gold to the King, as he employed it to the contrary
to agreement, to go to war with France. Through this Letter
Raymundus Lullius was put in the Tower of London, as a
prisoner of State.

"I have seen several Rose Nobles,
which have all been made of that gold procured by Lullius. But
what need have we to quote Examples of remote times? We have
plenty of a later date, and even have no occasion to go out of
Germany!

"Whosoever doubts,
let him go to Dresden in Saxony, and examine the so-called
Gold-House, and let him enquire what has been translated in
that laboratory, in the times of Elector Augustus, Electress
Anne and their Son Christianus I, and let him ask from where
proceeded those superb buildings seen in Dresden? If he, the
unbeliever, wants still more proofs, let him go to the
Electoral Libraries and enquire for the Chemical Acts and
Journals of the Middle and later End of the 15th Century. And
if he goes to the Secret Chancery, he will see such an immense
quantity of manuscripts and large volumes, some written by the
Elector Augustus himself, wherein he may read how from time to
time the tingeing powders were elaborated and what immense
quantities of Gold was procured thereby weekly, that he may
well be astonished, as we have been ourselves.

"On the other hand in the Chamber of Public Accounts, where
all the immense Expenses were set down, for erecting such
magnificent buildings, he will not find a single groschen set
down as received for defraying such enormous expenses.

"Such buildings were the Palaces, Stables, Gardens,
Augustusburgh, etc., for erecting them, the Expenses flowed
from the Secret Chancery, as they received it from the
Gold-House.

"It is well known at Vienna that Baron Chaos had a Powder
in his possession, wherewith he made projection in presence
of our late Emperor Ferdinand III, when His Imperial Majesty
who was a Lover, a wise and good man; made Baron Chaos a
Count of the Empire.

"Baron Chaos had not made the Tincture himself, but had
received it from an Earl of Mansfield, who was a General at
Raab in Hungary, who died, and the Tincture fell into the
hands of Chaos.

"There is at this day a gold medal in the Imperial Cabinet
of Curiosities which attests, that that gold was made out of
mercury in the presence of his Imperial Majesty Ferdinand
III.

"The many projections which have been made at Vienna with a
Tincture of the well known Wentzel by his present Imperial
majesty and by many others, and that the said Wenzel was
made Baron of Reinburg, are so fresh in memory, that it is
superfluous to repeat it here; although Baron Reinburg could
not prepare the tincture no more than Baron Chaos, which is
well known.

"What Dr Helvetius at the Hague related to me with his own
mouth, many years ago, when I paid him a visit, every one
may read in his own publication, The Golden Calf.

"Baron Wagner Ecko, who departed this life only last year,
had a Tincture, whereof 1 grain transmuted 3-1/2 lott of any
imperfect metal into pure gold. Consequently 1 part
transmuted and fixed 1680 parts.

"The whole City of Prague, many wise men, and men of rank
can testify the truth of this, to whom the Baron showed the
Transmutation without fear, and made them presents of small
pieces, as testimonies of the Truth of the Art.

"So much I know that the Baron’s Tincture was elaborated Via
Universali; a Mercurial Water was made first and then united
with a Sulfur or most subtle Crocus of Gold, ad observing
the degrees of fire, it passed through the black, white,
yellow and red colors and was multiplied by the same
Mercurial Water. This Tincture was of a very fiery color.

"The Baron de Wagner Ecko’s Furnace was an Athanor built of
bricks and was fired with charcoal.

"There are at present living possessors, some of them are my
friends, others I only know, but I cannot divulge their
names, whilst they are living.

"I know one amongst them, but a very few years ago, was very
poor, but at present is a very different man.

"Frankfurt and Augsburg can tell long stories concerning
this man’s gold and silver. At first I would not believe
him, that he was a possessor, because he did not immediately
discover himself, and I knew his former Indigence!

"Men generally make use of their good fortune according to
their genius and natural capacity.

"It is yet fresh in memory, that not long ago a Hollander, a
goldsmith, of the name of Sommer resided in Vienna, who
fixed out of a Tincture of Mercury 4 jj into pure silver.

"I have made the Experiment with my own hands; I have seen
his Medicine under two forms."

It is unlikely
that anyone will attain the Philosophers' Stone, or will tweet
the tale if/when, but there are several other ways to
manufacture gold without the Magistery. The transmutation of
silver to gold is in fact easy to accomplish, but it is very
dangerous, due to arsenic, nitric acid, and whatnot.

Martin Ruland

Martin Ruland the Elder (1532-1602) wrote "A Lexicon of Alchemy"
in which he generously provided these instructions for the
transmutation of silver by arsenic:

We propose to
provide in this place an account of a formal experiment, the
worth of which has been tested over and over again, and has in
fact become little less than familiar among operators in the
pursuit of the Grand Work. In order to perform it a large
crucible must be provided, and it must be of such a quality as
will be able to resist the action of intense heat. This
crucible must be set over a burning furnace, and at the bottom
of the vessel there must be strewn Powder of Colophony (a kind
of resin) to about the thickness of the little finger. Above
this undermost layer there must be another layer of Fine
Powder of Iron --- that is, the Finest Iron Filings --- which
shall be of the same thickness. Subsequently, the filings must
be covered with a little Red Sulphur. Then the fire in the
furnace must be increased till the iron filings have passed
into a liquid condition. The next operation is to throw in
Borax --- that kind which is made use of by goldsmiths for
melting gold. To this must be added a like quantity of Red
Arsenic, and as much Pure Silver as will be equivalent to the
weight of the Iron Filings. Let the entire composition undergo
coction by driving the furnace, taking care at the same time
not to inhale the steam, on account of the arsenic in the
vessel. Take then another crucible into which, by inclining
the first vessel, you must pour the cocted matter, having
previously stirred it effectually with an iron spatula.
Proceed in such a manner that the composition will flow into
the second crucible in a purified state, and devoid of
excremental matter. By means of the Water of Separation
[nitric acid], the Gold will be precipitated to the bottom.
When it has been collected, let it be melted in a crucible,
and the result will be good Gold, which will repay all pains
and expense which have been devoted to its production. This
chemical secret is contained in the ‘Hermetic Cabinet’, and
the facility with which the experiment can be performed has
led many persons to undertake it. The authority cited in
support of it is no less than that of the most learned Basil
Valentine..."

In short: melt
resin, iron powder, sulfur, borax, realgar/orpiment (Danger!),
and silver together, decant, cool, and extract with nitric
acid. Traces of gold probably will be present in the reagents,
so it behooves one to determine their purity before proceeding
to a sorely mistaken conclusion.

Theodore Tiffereau

The method
developed by Theodore Tiffereau was successful in principle,
but he never capitalized on it. Tiffereau conducted his
experiments while supporting himself making daguerotypes in
Mexico during the 1820s. He claimed that Mexican silver
possesses peculiar qualities that lend to its augmentation.
Tiffereau once demonstrated his process at the French Mint in
Paris, but the results were unsatisfactory. In 1854 he
submitted several memoirs to the French Academie des Sciences
describing his alleged transmutation of silver to gold.

Tiffereau's general method was to dissolve silver in
concentrated nitric or sulfuric acid and "solarize" the
solution for two weeks, then boil it to dryness. He complained
that the sunlight in France was not so effective as in Mexico
-- possibly due to the different levels of ultraviolet light.
Trace amounts of zinc, iron, alumina, silica, sulfur,
copper, ozone, and gold served to catalyze the reaction. The
blackish-green residue was refluxed in nitric acid for several
hours until it appeared golden.

Tiffereau attributed the production of gold in the earth to
the action of the "microbe of gold". He was vindicated in the
1980s by the discovery that placer gold nuggets can form
around a nucleus of Bacillus cereus.

Arthur E. Waite

The eminent occultist Arthur E. Waite (1857-1942) published "A
Collection of Alchymical Processes" which includes a segment
entitled "Silver Transmuted into Gold by the Action of Light",
similarly to Tiffereau's technique:

"In the focus of a
Burning-Glass, 12 inches in diameter, place a glass Flask, 2
inches in diameter, containing Nitric Acid, diluted with its
own volume of water:

"Pour into the Nitric Acid, alternately, small quantities of a
Solution of Nitrate of Silver and of Muriatic acid, the object
being to cause the Chloride of Silver to form a minutely
divided state, so as to produce a milky fluid, into the
interior of which the brilliant convergent cone may pass, and
the currents generated in the Flask by the Heat may so drift
all the Chloride through the Light.

"The Chloride, if otherwise exposed to the Sun, merely
blackens on the surface, the interior parts undergoing no
change: This difficulty, therefore, has to be avoided. The
Burning-Glass promptly brings on a decomposition of the salt,
evolving, on the one hand, Chlorine, and disengaging a metal
on the other. Supposing the experiment to last two or three
entire hours, the effect will then be equal to a continuous
midday sun of some 72 hours. The Metal becomes disengaged very
well. But what is it? It cannot be silver, since Nitric acid
has no action on it. It burnishes in an Agate Mortar, but its
reflection is not like that of silver, for it is yellowish,
like that of Gold.

"The Light must therefore have so transmuted the original
silver as to enable it to exist in the presence of Nitric
Acid."

Fulcanelli

The renowned 20th century master alchemist "Fulcanelli", whose
real name remains unknown, published a simple transmutation of
silver in "Les Demeures Philosophales" (1964):

"The simplest
alchemic procedure consists in utilizing the effect of violent
reactions -- those of acids on the bases -- to provoke in the
midst of the effervesence the reunion of pure parts, their new
arrangement being irreducible. In this manner, starting from a
metal close to gold -- preferably silver -- it is possible to
produce a small quantity of the precious metal. Here is, in
this order of research, an elementary operation whose success
we guarantee, providing the instructions are carefully
followed.

"Empty into a glass retort, tall and tubular, one-third of its
capacity in pure nitric acid. Adapt to the receiver an escape
tube and arrange the apparatus in a sand bath.

"Gently heat the apparatus short of reaching the boiling point
for the acid (83o C). Turn off the fire, open the tube, and
introduce a small portion of virgin silver, or of cupel, free
from gold traces. When the emission of peroxide of azote has
stopped and when the effervesence has quieted, let drop into
the liquor a second portion of pure silver. Repeat introducing
metal, with no hurry, until the boiling and issuing of red
vapors manifest little energy, which is indicative of the
property of saturation. Add nothing more. Let it rest for half
an hour, then cautiously decant your clear solution into a
beaker while it is still warm. You will find a thin deposit in
the form of black sand. Wash this with lukewarm water, and let
it fall into a small porcelain capsule. You will recognize by
making the assays that the precipitate is insoluble in
hydrochloric acid, just as it also is in nitric acid. Aqua
regia will dissolve it and yields a magnificent yellow
solution, exactly like gold trichloride. Use distilled water
to dilute this liquor; precipitate from a zinc blade. An
amorphous powder will be obtained, very fine, matte, of
reddish brown coloration, identical to that given by natural
gold reduced in the same manner. Wash well and dessicate this
pulvurent precipitate. By compression on a sheet of glass or
marble, it will give you a brilliant, coherent lamina with a
beautiful yellow sheen by reflection, green by transparence,
having the look and superficial characteristics of the purest
gold.

"To increase with a new quantity this miniscule deposit, you
may repeat the operation as many times as you please. In this
case, take up again the clear solution of silver nitrate
diluted from the first washing water; reduce the metal with
zinc or copper. Decant this silver into a powder and use it
for your second dissolution."

Francois Jollivet-Castelot[ Click to enlarge ]

Francois Jollivet-Castelot (1974-1937) was an eminent French
alchemist who developed a system of chemical methods of
transmutation for which he coined the term "hyperchemistry". He
presented a detailed report of his "wet" and "dry" methods in
"La Fabrication Chimique de L'Or" (1920):

"By means of
catalytic action I have succeeded in manufacturing gold
chemically by acting on silver with arsenic and antimony
sulfides, tellurium, and tin.

"This process gives a very high yield which has already been
confirmed by several chemists…
"I made a mixture composed of 3 gr of chemically pure silver
and 1 gr of chemically pure orpiment and placed it in 36º
nitric acid for several months cold and then brought it to
ebullition. The liquid was kept at the boiling point for
several days. A small quantity of the material became detached
at this moment and formed a pulvurent black deposit. When no
further action took place, I decanted off the solution and
collected the insoluble residue. This residue was attacked by
aqua regia at the boiling point until it was almost completely
dissolved; the liquor when decanted and filtered was analyzed
and gave all the characteristic reactions for gold."

The "dry" method resembles that described
by Martin Ruland:

"I acted on 22 gr
of chemically pure silver ... and on 3.5 gr of chemically pure
orpiment... The mixture was heated to about 1600º C in a metal
smelting furnace for about three quarters of an hour. The
residue obtained was again melted with the addition of
orpiment. After having hammered for half an hour and remelted
with the addition of small quantities of orpiment every ten
minutes, it was withdrawn.

"After cooling and the addition of chemically pure antimony
sulfide, it was again put back into the furnace, small
quantities of orpiment being thrown in every five minutes. The
residue obtained had a dark metallic tint. After hammering it
became slightly golden.

"The reactions of gold were quite characteristic; the
reactions of platinum also seemed to reveal its presence.

"The quantity of gold obtained in this experiment was about
one gramme.

"I submit the hypothesis that the arsenic acts as a catalyst
and the sulfur as a ferment in this transmutation."

"As a sequel to my previous work on the artificial synthesis
of gold, I have introduced tin into these new tests as it is
also often associated with gold in Nature. The following is a
description of this new process, thanks to which the
percentage of gold obtained destroys all the objections that
are raised with regard to impurities.

"I made an intimate mixture of 6 gr of chemically pure
silver... 2 gr of antimony sulfide, 1 gr of orpiment, and one
gr of tin... I then added the usual fluxes and then heated the
whole in a crucible in the furnace to about 1100º C for about
one hour, twice adding a small quantity of antimony sulfide.

"The residue obtained was treated for a long time in nitric
acid... The liquor when filtered and subjected to the reagents
of gold showed the presence of this metal in the form of
abundant deposits which may be estimated at 0.05 gr in all,
which is very high considering the 6 gr of silver employed.
The deposits when collected and dried had a yellow green
metallic color and possessed all the characteristics of
gold...

"It would be very easy to show that, given the respective
prices of gold and of the other substances that are used in my
process to produce it, a profit could be obtained if the
process were worked industrially, all the more so as the
greater part of the silver employed can be recovered at each
test..

"I believe I now hold the key to the regular and even
industrial manufacture of gold.

"But the industrial question is voluntarily put aside from my
thoughts, for my only object is the search for pure scientific
truth."

In a
correspondence, a Mr. Ballandras reported on "How I Succeeded
In Making Gold According To The Process of Mr.
Jollivet-Castelot: Dosage of Gold Obtained by the Second
Method", using 10 gr silver and 3 gr each of tin, orpiment,
and antimony sulfide:

"I will not
conceal the fact that I have often heard ironical remarks
about processes by which he succeeded in manufacturing gold. I
determined to check his tests with the greatest possible
accuracy...

"These reactions are sufficiently characteristic and clearly
prove the existence in the last liquor of a metal which, even
if it is not gold, must nevertheless be placed very close to
the latter... the metal obtained and gold must be perfectly
isotopic.

"I have repeated this test several times and I have observed:
1) That the production of gold is a function of the rapidity
with which the necessary heat is obtained; 2) That it is also
a function of the degree of tightness of the crucible. A
crucible that is closed as tightly as possible gives better
results; 3) That the amount of gold obtained was not always
uniform; some of the tests were absolutely sterile and I
inferred that this was due to some defect in the mounting.

"I think there must be a certain temperature that should not
be exceeded and that the external conditions of pressure and
electricity must be of considerable importance."

"After having operated as previously, I obtained a quantity of
gold corresponding to 0.05 gr per gram of silver employed...
This I consider to be a highly interesting result."

"The quantity of gold which was obtained was 0.476 gr for 10
gr of silver employed, or 0.0476 gr of gold per gr of silver."

On 6 June 1926, Jollivet-Castelot read a
memorandum about "A Recent Experiment In Transmutation" to the
Academie Royal des Sciences (Belgium):

"All my research
work on transmutation since 1908 has started from the fact
that gold is found in nature associated with antimony and
arsenic sulfides as well as with tellurium, which is
considered as a mineralizer of gold. I therefore considered
that it was logical to introduce tellurium into the artificial
combination of silver and arsenic and antimony sulfides that I
make...

Mr. Louis Outon, a pharmaceutical
chemist in Buenos Aires, also confirmed the method in a letter
dated 26 July 1927:

"Dear Sir... I
have repeated the experiments... in my laboratory and am
amazed at the results. For the moment, it is only the
scientific side which interests me, since the cost of the gold
obtained is often greater than the value of the metal..."

Stephen H. Emmens

Early in 1897, the British inventor Stephen Henry Emmens, then
residing in New York, announced the discovery of a new element
which fills the "vacant space existing in the sub-group of Group
I", and which he thought to be the intermediate matter from
which silver and gold are formed:

"Our claim is that
the element in question is therefore neither silver nor gold,
but which may, by our new physical methods, be converted into
gold."

Emmens' process comprised stages of
mechanical treatment, fluxing and granulation, more mechanical
treatment, "modified nitric acid", and refining. The
mechanical treatment was accomplished by means of his "Force
Engine", which exerted pressures in excess of 500 tons psi at
very low temperatures.

His Argentaurum Laboratory on Staten Island produced over 660
ounces of gold from silver and sold it to the U.S. Assay
Office in 1897. He revealed a few historical and technical
details of his transmutation process in his book "Argentaurum
Papers #1: Some Remarks Concerning Gravitation":

"Our work, which
converts silver into gold, had its origin in the course of
certain investigations which I undertook for the purpose of
preparing chemically pure nickel... in 1892...

"Our starting point, so far as silver and gold were concerned,
was afforded by the remarkable discoveries of Mr. Carey Lea
with regard to [colloidal silver]... It was found that... this
subdivision of metallic silver was attended by very
considerable changes in the physical properties of the
substance...By certain physical methods and by the aid of a
certain apparatus, we succeeded in bringing about a further
subdivision of the silver. We were not surprised to find that
the substance obtained differed so far from ordinary silver
that it could no longer be regarded as the same elementary
substance. It seemed to require a new name and a new chemical
symbol. Inasmuch, therefore, as our theory was that this
substance was common to both gold and silver, and in reality
was the raw material out of which both gold and silver were
constructed by the hand of nature, we named the substance
Argentaurum...

"The next step was to ascertain whether this substance could
be so treated as to be grouped into molecules of greater
density than those of silver... We found that... Argentaurum
can be aggregated into molecules having a density considerably
superior to that of ordinary gold molecules. Whether we are
right as to this or not, the condensed Argentaurum presents
the appearance and is endowed with the properties of ordinary
metallic gold...

"We do not consume any chemicals and other costly materials in
our process; what we use is mainly energy in some of its
various forms, such as heat, electricity, magnetism, gravity,
cohesion, chemical affinity, x-rays and the like... Our chief
source of expense is the time required for bringing about the
desired molecular changes... One ounce of silver will produce
three-quarters of an ounce of gold..."

"I regard the mechanical treatment as the causa causans. The
fluxing and granulation serve, I think, merely to render the
molecular aggregate susceptible of displacement and
rearrangement."

In May 1897, Dr. Emmens sent a sample of
Argentaurum and instructions for its preparation to Sir
William Crookes:

"Take a Mexican
dollar and dispose it in an apparatus which will prevent
expansion or flow. Then subject it to heavy, rapid, and
continuous beating under conditions of cold such as to prevent
even a temporary rise of temperature when the blows are
struck. Test the material from hour to hour, and at length you
will find more than the trace (less than one part in 10,000)
of gold which the dollar originally contained."

Sir Crookes was unable to replicate the
experiment to his satisfaction. He reported:

"A specimen of
Argentaurum sent me by Dr. Emmens has been examined with the
spectrograph. It consists of gold with a fair proportion of
silver and a little copper. No lines belonging to any other
known elements, and no unknown lines, were detected."

Ordinary
bullion gold contains silver and copper to make it harder and
more fusible than pure gold. Hmmm...

In 1898, Emmens floated the syndicated Argentaurum
Company, promising that for one ounce of silver (then worth
about 50 cents) and payment of $4.50 per ounce for conversion
costs, the investor would be repaid with 3/5 ounce of gold
(then worth about $11). Dr. Emmens' application for a patent
on his process was rejected, however, so production never
began, since he would not have been able to protect his
methods from unscrupulous competitors.

Franz Tausend

The German
alchemist Franz Seraph Tausend (1884-1942) began to produce
gold from mercury in the 1920s under the auspices of General
Ludendorff. The fledgling Nazi Party invested heavily in the
enterprise, which had great appeal during that period of
hyper-inflation, but his partners wasted most of the money on
extravagant lifestyles. Tausend himself had a penchant for
castles and bought a few. In 1929 he was forced to demonstrate
his process in a sensational court trial, and it proved true,
though ultimately it was determined to be unprofitable.
Tausend was convicted for misappropriation of investment funds
and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. After his release, he
was arrested again in 1937 for check fraud, and he died in
prison.

Tausend's work was based on a circular table of 180 elements
arranged according to a system of harmonic frequencies and
atomic weights.

The ingredients of his formula are known to be: Part 1) 111 gr
lead chloride, 60 gr potassium hydroxide; Part 2) 76 gr
potassium, 55 gr sodium amalgamated with 131 gr of mercury,
melted under paraffin. Reaction of 17.4 gr Part 1 with 5.4 gr
Part 2 yielded 5.4 gr of gold.

Roman Dunikovski

In 1931,
Polish engineer Roman [?] Dunikovski announced that he could
produce artificial gold by the action of "Z-rays" on a mixture
of silica and feldspar melted in bronze crucibles under the
influence of 110 kilovolts. Dunikovski claimed to have
inherited the process from his father and grandfather who had
developed it. He also theorized that all minerals contain
"embryonal atoms" or "mineralites" that can be artificially
matured in minutes.

Several French investors syndicated and subscribed 2,000,000
francs which Dunikovski used to build a laboratory in Paris.
But when no gold was produced, he was charged with fraud. He
demonstrated his process to the court, but the results were
ambiguous and insufficient to prove his innocence. Dunikovski
was sentenced to four years imprisonment, but his attorney
secured his release after two years. He relocated to San Remo
and renewed his experiments, improving the process and gaining
significant increases in yields.

When rumors began to spread that Dunikovski was selling small
amounts of gold, his attorney Jean Legrand visited Dunikovski
with the eminent chemist Albert Bonn to investigate. M. Bonn
witnessed the process and repeated it himself. One type of
sand, which contained 11 gr golg/ton before treatment, assayed
859 gr/ton after treatment with the improved apparatus.

Dunikovski later established "Metallex, Societe Anonyme" with
Belgian stockholders and built a factory on Lake Neuchatel.
Nothing more is known about the affair because its proceedings
were kept secret.

Adalbert Klobasa

Circa 1937, an Austrian chemist named
Adalbert Klobasa claimed to have synthesized gold using an
electromagnet and induction coil with which he treated a
mixture of 36 gr titanium-potassium-oxalate, 84 gr ferrous
sulfate, 50 gr copper sulfate, 50 gr sodium sulfide, 100 gr
ammonium chloride, 100 gr ammonia, 20 ml waterglass, and 440
gr silica. The reaction was catalyzed with 100 mg of silver.
Two hours of treatment afforded a 1% yield of gold which
appeared as brown-red scales.

Klobasa claimed that gold is built up from iron, titanium, and
sodium. He wisely declined to enter into business:

"I am too old, and
not fit enough to worry myself chasing around after
capitalists."

Thomas H. Moray

At the 68th National Western Mining
Conference in Denver CO (4 February 1965), Dr Thomas Henry
Moray presented a progress report on the "Recovery of Minerals
from Low Grade Ore by High Energy Bombardment" being studied
at his Research Institute in Salt Lake City, UT:

"From 1950 to
1953, our attention turned to the reactions involved in
working with uranium ores... It was observed that as the raw
uranium ore was irradiated and otherwise processed under
proper conditions, fairly large amount of uranium could be
recovered. For instance, on May 16, 1958, using a sample that
ran 0.29% uranium oxide before irradiation, the assay was
21.9% after... After Dr Marvin of the AEC spent several months
investigating the sample we supplied, it was reported that no
ore of the type we presented existed in the United States
except by the process of aging which they admitted we seemed
able to do. We proposed that a breeding type reaction could be
accomplished by the bombardment of low grade ores with high
energy particles or x-rays in the presence of a proper
environment. At this time we were unsuccessful in obtaining a
contract from the AEC. It was disclosed later that breeding
reaction investigations were being conducted by the AEC in
Arc, Idaho (Scientific American, January 1960). We still feel
our method is cheaper and more efficient that the process used
at Arco.

"The study of uranium oxide, however, paid for itself in that
it opened up new ideas in an approach top breeder reactions
for other types of mineral bearing ores. In 1958 we altered
the uranium breeding reaction process and specifically adapted
it to the recovery of gold, silver and platinum ores..."

Moray had rented time on the Varian
Associates 8 MeV Linac (linear accelerator) and conducted a
series of tests to determine the optimal conditions for their
process. In her "History of the Research Project" (1966), Ruth
L. Hendricks reported:

"These tests gave
yields of from 50 to 100 ounces of gold per ton and as much as
several hundred ounces of silver per ton. It must be mentioned
at this time that when virtually no gold or silver values can
be determined in the raw ore (i.e., they assay from trace to a
few hundredths of an ounce of gold per ton), after irradiation
and drying the gold and silver can be identified by standard
fire assay or any other normal determination method...

"The ores we have used fall into three main categories. All
contain from trace to a few hundredths of an ounce of gold per
ton. Although we have tried higher grade ores, they seem less
adaptable to this process. The increase in values is much less
than in low grade ores. One type of ore is simply low grade
unprocessed gold ore. The second is mill tailings. This type
has a number of advantages such as being inexpensive,
available in large quantities, and already ground. For these
reasons a great deal of work has been done with this type of
ore with excellent results. The third variety of ore is
natural sand. Although fewer different ores of this type have
been tried, they also have usually given good yields...

"These calculations show that with a small risk involved, a
yield of around 15 ounces of gold per ton can be anticipated.
We also found that a dose of 0.16, 0.5, 2.0 and 4.0 megarads
gave the peaks on the sine curve for dose. A dose rate of 4
megarads per minute gave the highest peak on the dose rate
curve..."

In a telephone interview with Ken Jones
(September 1981), Thomas Moray's son John said:

"The environmental material consists of a
combination of chemicals whose atomic numbers add up to the
atomic number of silver or gold and yield silver and gold upon
irradiation [The formulas include arseno- and iron-pyrites in
alkaline solution]. Antimony has peculiar properties -- it has
floating electrons which come in very handy. It is believed
that this environment furnishes particles similar to the
cosmic ray reaction on the atmosphere. Research work indicates
that the radiation must be composed of both high-speed
electrons and x-rays. Consistent results under controlled
methods were obtained with the addition of a catalyst (a flux
or reduction agent, an environment) combined with bombardment
of the material ... by an energy bombardment tube developed
for the Research Institute."

"The invention has
been described in the foregoing with sole reference to its use
for therapeutic purposes. It should be noted, however, that
inorganic matter may also be treated to advantage pursuant to
the methods and with the apparatus... It has been found that
metals, for example, lead, have changed physical properties
after treatment in accordance with the above..."

T.R. Dolph published an article about the
Moray process in Fate magazine (February 1976), wherein he
stated:

"Dr. Moray engaged my father-in-law, attorney Victor
G. Sagers, Midvale, Utah, to represent him in offering the
device to the US Government... Transmutation of metals (yes,
turning lead into gold) was demonstrated several times; the
government supplied the lead and kept the gold."

John Moray denied this in a letter to Ken Jones (18 January
1982):

"The article by
T.R. Dolph is one of those articles written by a crackpot that
has in fact mixed together a number of unrelated facts. There
is no such device as described in Fate magazine... The
bombardment tube does exist. However, this has nothing to do
with the recovery of minerals from low grade ore. The
bombardment tube is a part of the therapy device..." (Thomas
Moray also invented a marvelous therapeutic device and an
extremely powerful radiant energy receiver, now lost).

Joe Champion

During the 1990s the modern alchemist Joe Champion developed a
variety of novel techniques to produce gold, based on concepts
originated by geologist Walter Lussage (1967).

Dr Bockris at Texas A.M. University
replicated one of the experiments using this formula: 300 gr
carbon, 900 gr potassium nitrate, 80 gr sulfur, 100 gr iron
sulfate, 30 gr cadmium, 100 gr mercury chloride, 50 gr lead
oxide, 5 gr silver, and 30 gr calcium oxide. The ingredients
were mixed and ignited with a torch. The silver content
increased from 5 to 8.7 gr, and a small amount of gold also
was produced. X-ray flourescence and mass spectrometry
examinations were made of the materials before and after the
ignition. Though workable, the technique has little to
recommend it due to the expense and danger, but greed,
lawyers, and technocratic hubris can easily bypass such
obstacles.

Champion's research associate Greg Iseman used a microwave
digestion process to perform analyses of the formula, and this
method also produced transmutations.

"If the reaction
mixture exceeds 15 kg, the yield is reduced because the
transmutation cycle is too long and begins to produce base
elements instead of precious metals. It was found necessary to
add traces of the target elements to the starting mixture in
order for the resonance of those elements (i.e., Au) to act as
a "stopping agent".

"The following reagents were required to produce synthetic
precious metals by this process: silica, ferrous sulfate, lead
oxide, calcium oxide, mercury sulfide, and cadmium. The
mixture was combined with carbon, sodium or potassium nitrate,
sulfur, mercury chloride, and silver. The formula produced
synthetic gold, iridium, platinum, palladium, and rhodium...

"When the chemical mixture is properly prepared, it has a
reproductive factor of over 60%. This was later increased to
90-plus percent when an error was determined in the
crystalline structure of the ferrous sulfate. The differences
dealt with a magnetic susceptibility at high temperature,
i.e., greater than 750° C..."

"The isotope to be
transmuted... is heated and subjected to a resonant frequency
unique to the nucleus of the isotope for a time sufficient for
the isotope to undergo an alpha fission to a new element of
lower mass and atomic number...

"In the formation of silver (or other elements) from a
dimensional reaction, the conversion will occur without excess
energies or nuclear signatures. The principle is
straightforward and simple without toxicity, by utilizing a
heat source that is stable and capable of heating in the range
of 100-120° C. Allow the temperature of the silver to
stabilize at 43.2° C.

"Achievement of the maximum conversion of Ag to Au will depend
on the dwell time at resonance temperature. Conversion of Ag
to Au can occur in as little as six hours; 2% conversion takes
up to 24 hours.

"The conversion of one element (specifically one isotope) to
another through a dimensional reaction occurs under select
conditions of phonon resonance. Dimensional phonon resonance
occurs when the space occupied by one isotope is exactly the
same as that of another isotope in its rest state. This event
only occur under the following two conditions: (1) the
expansion of an isotope by heating; or, (2) the contraction of
an isotope by cooling...

"The conversion of Al to Au is an absolute application of
dimensional science. In this reaction, gold is produced in its
ultra-pure state on a continuous basis. This procedure may be
utilized for most elements. The basis of this dimensional
occurs in the collection of atomic size particles that form
near the resonant metal (in this case aluminum). Due to the
size of the particles they appear in what normal chemistry
would consider a gas phase. The targeted element (isotope)
forms in its singular state and due to the lack of energies
present. There are insufficient energies to bind the atoms
into a colloidal state...

"In the production of gold from aluminum, the ideal
temperature is 302.9° C. These temperatures are optimum for
the Al (the Al must be allowed to come into equilibrium with
the furnace). Once resonance is established, production is
continuous. The Au is captured in the water as it is removed
from a negative pressure applied to the furnace established by
the vacuum pump. However, please be aware that Al will also
convert to Ag107 at a temperature of 283.7° C."

A third method devised by Joe Champion
involves biological transmutation performed by mutant strains
of yeast, which he describes in his US Patent
Application US2008081359 (Methods for Producing Mutant
Microbes Useful for Precious Metal and Bioenergy
Production):

"A mutant microbe
that generates trace amounts of gold on silver, and uses of
the mutant microbe for recovering precious metals and
producing biofuels and oil products are described. According
to an exemplary embodiment, the mutant microbe is produced by
placing metallic silver in an aqueous solution, and adding a
species of Saccharomyces to the aqueous solution such that
when the species of Saccharomyces comes in contact with the
metallic silver, at least a portion of the species of
Saccharomyces transforms into the mutant microbe that
interacts with the metallic silver and forms a layer
comprising a trace amount of nano gold particles on the
metallic silver."

His USP Application US2009087892 (same
title) rephrases the concept:

"The present
invention relates to methods of mutation of yeast of the genus
Saccharomyces with metallic silver and nano silver atoms. The
mutant microbes carry out biological transmutation in coating
silver with a yellow material comprising trace amounts of nano
gold particles... [and] are also useful for aggregating and
coalescing nano precious metal atoms into clusters of bulk
precious metals where the nano atoms are produced by the
resonance of an aluminum or a silver tube in an
electromagnetic field."

He also offers these instructions on his
website:

"Making Gold --
Requirements include the following: 5 gallon bucket purchased
at a hardware store, 10 to 15 ounces of silver shot which can
be ordered from any jewelry store, one gallon of distilled
water, one kilogram of yeast (Fleischmann’s).

"Place the silver yeast and water in the bucket and place the
bucket in a area that is warm. I use the sun as my heater but
sunlight is not required.

"The preferred temperature is near 100° C. but the process
will work at lower temperatures, though slower. Stir the
bucket at least three times a day. During the first two days
you may see the yeast rise. Just stir in back into the water.
It will take between four and seven days for you to start
seeing the first gold color on top of your silver shot.
Depending on conditions it may take upwards to twenty days..."

The yeast can be mutated in several ways,
such as by silver particles, UV light, electromagnetic fields,
and nutrients should be added to the brew.

Alexander Putney has further researched and developed
Champion's yeast process, and he claims:

O, what joyous
vindication of Don Ho! Nanobubble generators are a highly
promising emerging technology with many possible applications
besides transmutations, including treatment of water,
gingivitis, cancer, and garbage.

John Milewski

Dr. John V. Milewski (Superkinetic, Inc.,
Albuquerque NM) discovered a way to make gold from "ORMEs" in
common glass with the help of a microwave. According to his
statement in a YouTube video demonstration, "Any 600 to 900
watt kitchen microwave will do to illustrate melting and
casting metals in a microwave. The gold process takes three to
four iterations..." Profitable operation of the process would
require a powerful industrial microwave furnace.

Milewski found (statistically) that he could produce over $100
worth of gold from 100 grams of common brown glass.
Furthermore, he states that any cubic crystal can "grow" gold,
even if analysis shows the material to be barren of any
precious elements.

Gold and several other elements allegedly exist in a gaseous
"monoatomic" form called ORME (Orbitally Rearranged Monoatomic
Elements), or ORMUS, discovered by David Hudson in 1975. Such
isotopes have been stripped of electrons and collapsed into a
smaller, gaseous form exhibiting unique properties such as
room temperature superconductivity and miraculous healing.

"...stable,
substantially pure, non-metallic-like forms of [gold, silver,
copper, cobalt and nickel, and the six platinum group elements
having] a hereto unknown electron orbital rearrangement in the
"d", "s", and vacant "p" orbitals. The electron rearrangement
bestows upon the monoatomic elements unique electronic,
chemical, magnetic, and physical properties which have
commercial application."

The proper preparation of ORMEs is
technically difficult, but many shameless entrepreneurs have
adopted the name and applied it to dubious products made by
crude processes larded with magical thinking, scientific
method be damned. Such materials bear no resemblance to the
ORMEs described in Hudson's patent.

Milewski posits that the gaseous ORMEs can be released from
crystal forms by heating and reconstituted in their solid form
as they absorb electrons in the process.

To summarize: Lacking the Philosophers' Stone, it is
nevertheless possible to manufacture gold from other elements,
particularly silver, catalyzed by arsenic sulfide, in nitric
acid, under UV light, at resonant frequencies, with
nanobubbles, in a microwave oven!

For good measure, please consider too the equally improbable
Sprink "Space Activator", which can reduce the time required
for chemical reactions by 80% while using only half the
calories (!).

Leon Sprink was a Russian engineer who operated a cement
manufacturing plant in France during the 1950s. He received
several patents for a simple method to create a torsional form
of electric field that accelerates chemical reactions. He
mentions this example in his British Patent GB685522 (Method
of and Apparatus for Carrying out Chemical Reactions):

“One month after
the setting in operation of the apparatus, the duration of the
reaction, which normally is 24 hours, had fallen down to 3
hours and the saving in calories to be supplied for the
reaction was 50%… The field also affects the states of matter
such as solubility and crystallization, distillation,
reduction of metallic ores, etc..."

Leon Sprink
died in poverty, but a 16-fold saving of time and energy in
the "reduction of metallic ores, etc." might be profitable for
another pioneering entrepreneur if applied to transmutation.

"Spectral Catalysts" also could enhance the engineering of
this new industry. The term (coined by Juliana Brooks) refers
to specialized applications of electric and magnetic fields,
select frequencies, and waveforms, etc. -- the usual suspects
-- imposed upon chemical reactions at low levels of energy
input to improve yields and quality.

Surmising from this compilation of factoids, the manufacture
of gold by transmutation of silver could become an established
industry within a few decades, if civilization and the
biosphere don't collapse first.

And there you have it -- a dazzling glimpse at The Next Bigly
Thing in the Wonder World of WheneverLand !!!

References [Classified]

About the Author: Robert A. Nelson is a 10th grade
dropout with no credentials. He established Rex Research in
1982 to archive hard-to-find information about suppressed,
dormant, and emerging inventions. He persists...